The cards were stacked against them to make it to Foshan, China.
The FIBA World Cup is about to take place in the Philippines, marking the country’s third straight appearance in the global hoops summit. In honor of this massive feat, we looked back on the best Gilas Pilipinas moments from its memorable campaign nine years ago. To stick with the theme, we’re going to do the same for the national team that competed in the 2019 edition of the prestigious international tournament.
This squad’s road to China was colorful, to say the least. So, brace yourselves for a trippy ride down memory lane.
Gilas made it
The squad’s bid to play on the big stage hit a major roadblock during the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. In July of 2018, a brawl between the host team and Australia broke out at the Philippine Arena, resulting in 11 Gilas members, including Chot Reyes, getting slapped with fines and suspensions. Long story short, Yeng Guiao was tapped to take the reigns. He then scrambled to find player replacements and—somehow, someway, despite the limited prep time—was able to a lead Gilas to another World Cup berth. The clincher was a 93-75 victory over Kazakhstan, with Blatche exploding for 41 points.
The last stand
In contrast to Gilas’ 2014 run, Philippines lost all its games five years later by large margins except in the match against Angola. Of course, we have to include the Filipino hoopers’ best performance in 2019. Against the African team, Gilas almost pulled off the win but ultimately lost in overtime 84-81. Cjay Perez showed out, scoring 17 points, while Blatche uncorked his last great outing for the country as he tallied 23 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals.
The shot
The biggest shot Gilas made in the 2019 FIBA World Cup would have to be Cjay Perez’s clutch three from the left wing that forced the extra period against Angola. With 33.1 seconds left on the game clock, Gilas’ defense held on, putting the score at 73-73 by the end of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Gilas couldn’t pull it off in OT. But at least, Perez was able to give the Philippines a standout moment in Foshan.
June Mar vs the Serbian giants
When Philippines went up against Serbia, it meant June Mar Fajardo had to face two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, the monolothic Boban Marjanovic, and the underrated Nemanja Bjelica. It was quite a majestic image, seeing the country’s best big man battling for position against the world’s best big man.
The Joker won the duel, scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 rebounds to help Serbia come up with the dominant victory. The Kraken, however, wasn’t too far behind as he finished with 8 points and 6 boards.
Robert Bolick makes his presence felt
Gilas had one last shot at notching a win in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Facing Iran, Perez' PBA Draft class teammate player stood out as he tried to propel the Philippine contingent to victory. To prove that he belongs on the world stage, Robert Bolick put in his best performance during Gilas’ final group phase game. The offensive-minded point guard had a team-high 15 points. His fourth quarter barrage, however, fell short as Iran pulled away with a 20-point win. Had Blatche not been ejected in the fourth period, the result might’ve been different with Bolick leading the way.
Gilas has now welcomed a new batch of players, to be led by NBA star Jordan Clarkson. Having the home advantage, they’ve got a legit shot at making more history. Let’s see what happens when the battle for basketball’s crown jewel tips off anew on August 25.
(GM)